Plants galore, and more at the Newark Garden Show

Once again we went to the Newark Garden Show on the Friday with pre-paid tickets. This time entry into the show was more organised, though we probably arrived later than we had last year, so perhaps we benefitted from the team hitting their stride. The traffic getting to the Showground though was worse, with queues on the A46 roundabout up to the turning - this was likely to be due to ‘normal’ traffic and the additional show traffic, and both having a bad day, as traffic seems to all too often.

And with this being our second visit we were a little more aware of what to expect. As you enter the show there’s plenty of plants to buy, for what I think are very reasonable prices. This year we skipped those, and the crowds, initially and headed straight for the main ‘avenue’ or ‘drag’ which runs parallel to the building which hosts the craft stalls, and before I knew it I’d seen a garden sculpture that I didn’t want to leave without!

And while the stems and the orbs sway in the wind, the base should ensure that it’s not something that we’re chasing down the road in the wind (hopefully!) - though that said, I think this is one I’ll keep away from the greenhouse once that’s in place just in case.

The stallholder was doing a good trade, and with a ‘show only’ approach to his items I knew this was a now or never item. As you’ll know from my April garden update, it came home with us - after a bit of jiggery pokery actually getting it into the car! We bought it there and then, and collected it later on our way out, which was ideal.

It’s not hard to see why the sign for Deviant Plants caught my eye is it? But their stall was more than just a good sign, and they had many plants here that were a bit different to the norm, which I think can only be a good thing. I’ve since discovered that they’re a small Lincoln-based nursery, and I hope to see more of them and their plants. It’s from here that I bought the Natchez Trace Iris and the Southern Globe Thistle plants which also came home with us.

Apart from the sign, it was the plant that promised chocolate scented flowers that fascinated me; but I wasn’t so keen on the leaf shape so left this one there. We had a stroke of the silver sage which is softer than it looks, and while we left it there it’s on a list of potential future plants - everyone has one of those right?

I had half an eye on potential paving and greenhouse base options as I walked around the show, so I was pleased to see the local Gainsborough based company Naylor GridTech’s stall at the show. It was really useful to chat through the different options, and learn that this is absolutely strong enough for a greenhouse base. They also do a product which can be driven on, but that’s more than I need - so if this is something you’re considering, it’s worth asking that question.

The grid is both durable and environmentally friendly which is strong once filled with gravel, so it can provide a strong and permeable base for my future greenhouse, which is very good news indeed as I really didn’t want to have a concrete or paved base.

It was good to see the new-to-the-area Quirky Duck team at the show, and it was a good reminder for me that I haven’t been to their new showrooms yet - something for me to fix. The tall strawberry pot reminded me of the one we had in our London garden - and no longer with us, and long forgotten about until now.

After talking myself out of buying the NASA sign to add to the old farm wall, I once again found myself admiring the Lagurus/Bunny Tails as I had last year. They’ve clearly got a pull on me, but we already have a small (but growing) plant in our outside border, perhaps that’s why.

I was less successful in avoiding the dark leaved and dark flowering penstemons - as usual unable to choose between the two so having one of each, and adding a small variegated fatsia to make up the three.

I had a plan for the wooden seed trays too, thinking they’d be idea for my (not yet in existence) greenhouse - my plan is to task MOH to make some. The fact he doesn’t have any wood is not a valid excuse either. I know he has all sorts of wood which we brought with us when we moved, and maybe it’s time for some of it to have a new purpose…

There are bargains to be had at the show. Last year I was impressed by the good prices of the olive trees, and that was the same this year. I also saw Rhododendrons priced from fifteen pounds to fifty, though to be fair the higher price was for a larger plant. But £15 for a plant this size is a good price.

Seeing this, and knowing MOH’s penchant for a rhododendron - or rosiedendron as he calls them (on purpose to annoy me!) made me think about our garden, and how we could fit one in as we definitely have the space. The plant above is predicted to grow to 1.2 m (width and height) within five years, so it’s not one to just plonk anywhere. My current thoughts are that having a rhododendron would be a great way to screen off the compost bins, and look pretty too. Hold that thought!

It’s just as well that we’d already bought a garden sculpture, otherwise I think this rusty iron dragonfly would have been the one - and it would have been way easier to transport! But at £25 I’ve a feeling that this (or something like it) could be a future purchase as it’s a great way to add height to a border, new or old.

There was more iron too, and more that I could easily have left with. I am sure these will also feature at some point in our garden; they’ve been a favourite of mine for a while, and we’ve seen at other garden shows and online and balked at the price. These are much more favourably priced - the circular supports in the first image below at £20 each.

As we headed back towards where we’d come in we were met with a blast of colour from the cheery bougainvillea - a plant that’s sure to bring holiday memories that’s for sure with its jewel-like colours. And the hibiscus too - fabulous plants, but not on my current plant wish list.

Though now I’m wondering why not! But I know I have to stick to my plan - or close to it anyway!

So again another good year at the Newark Garden Show, and I’m sure we’ll be back again next year - hopefully we’ll be much further along with our garden planning and I’ll be buying plants and actually planting them in the garden, who knows - let’s hope so.

The fourth (and last) of our black and white pictures

Here’s the final post in this series, which follows more details on why we chose the first, second and third photos as part our series of four black and white pictures. As you know the first two images were of holiday memories, and the third was prompted by where we used to live, so it seems only right that the final image was of our new location. It’s also the only photo not taken by me in the series too.

MOH took this photo of one of his regular bike rides, it’s a place we drive past often and so it was a bit of a shock to see the field full of water that first winter we were here. We were already a little bit more shocked than we thought we would be by the weather and its impact on the area around us, and I remember thinking how much hardier these country folk were, much more than us townies and questioning if we’d made the right decision to move.

But to give you an indication of how grim it was, and how much of an eye opener it was, there’s very little difference colour wise between the colour and black and white photo. There’s definitely some mileage in the ‘it’s grim up north’ saying, but it’s also true we’re glad we moved here as there is so much more it offers us.

The black and white photo loses the place names on the sign, but I think accentuates the pot hole - which like many places is sadly a way of life right now. We’ve learnt that here though they draw a yellow circle around them, we’re not convinced this is to highlight where repairs are needed though as often the yellow circle wears off and needs replacing too! You’ve got to laugh though…

So the final image is a good reminder of our first winter in our new house, and I think complements the other images in our series of four black and white pictures, each of which includes an element of nature. Together they make a great and impactful display in our bedroom of our now not quite so new house!

My garden in April

Last month it was all about the bulbs in my garden, this month they’ve been and gone. The tulips were a bit of a let down really, and so I think they need some attention once they’ve died back. My plan is to repot them so they’ll have some fresh soil for next spring, and while I’m at it some of my daffodils would probably also benefit from the same treatment.

This month it’s been about the shrubs coming back to life, though not all of them are there yet disappointingly. There’s been a first visit to a garden show - more on what we saw there in a future post, but carry on reading to see what I left with and my plans for those.

With nice weather it’s surprising how quickly things - and specifically plants - change. At the start of the month this acer was only just coming into bud, a fortnight later it was in full leaf and looking really healthy. These past few hot days has seen it drop a few leaves, so plenty of water when it cools down in the evening has, I think, been helping.

Likewise our crab apple tree started to develop the red buds of blossom in the middle of month, so for our family barbecue, it glistened jewel-like in the background, and then boom - the blossom was out in all its gloriousness a week or so later. I’ve many more photos of it than I’m sharing here, but please indulge me a bit of home grown blossom love!

Yes, you can see how it’s quite addictive!

Elsewhere in the garden the dogwoods also started to flower, and yes they’re still in the pots we moved them in. Over the winter I’ve been trying them out in a new spot - one that we can see from the house, so when their stems are at their vibrant best we can enjoy them from inside. We’re happy with the spot they’re in now, so they are earmarked for planting out when the conditions are right.

The peach tree has shed all its blossom now, and there are a few tiny, tiny fruits starting to develop. It’s shot up too, so I think I’ll be able to train one, maybe two more horizontal branches - though I do need to get some more canes (or shackle enough together) to do this.

It’s also developed what I’m pretty sure is peach leaf curl, a fungal disease which causes red patches - and while they in themselves are quite stunning, they can’t be doing the plant any good. The advice is to remove the affected leaves as quickly as possible and before the fungus blooms, which I’ve done, and hopefully this will reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

I’ll be keeping my eye out for any more leaves, and removing those too. The solution is apparently to cover them with plastic over the winter months, which clearly is a bit late to know about now. Anyway, let’s hope it’s just a blip and it continues to grow and produce at least a couple of fruit.

Our longer term plan is to plant it at the base of the wall (which will make it easy to cover in plastic sheeting in future) but exactly where is still unknown. If planting it out is its next step then I could probably make a call, but if it’s happy to continue in a pot then I have one - and a much bigger one - on standby. We bought this at the Newark Garden Show, and while it looks like terracotta it’s actually plastic, and it’s one of the best I’ve seen. It’s much lighter than a terracotta pot (obviously) and a bit more resilient too, and if the peach tree is ready to move then it also gives me a bit more decision-making time!

We also bought a new, but aged and distressed, iron sculpture at the show - it’s currently still in its black plastic wrapping but has moved inside the garage for the time being. Getting it into the car was fun, but we managed it with the seats rearranged and MOH sitting in the back holding it in place.

Last year I only left the show with a couple of lupins, as our new garden was still very new to us and my plans were completely unknown. This year my appetite for plants has returned a little, and we did make some purchases including these Southern Globe Thistles which are perennials that like full/part sun and should flower in July/August with blue spherical flower heads.

This unusual Iris caught my eye - its flowers are a copper bronze and mahogany and it’d normally flower in May/June and once again it’s one that will return each year. Then there were a couple of dark flowered and purple leaved Penstemons, which along with those pictured will look great in a cottage garden type setting, which is lucky as that’s something I have in mind, but in the meantime I’ll continue to grow them in pots, potting them on as I need to.

I also succumbed to a fatsia, we had one in our previous garden which was huuuge but also very forgiving and very structural. This one is quite a bit smaller, and since seeing the white fatsia at last year’s Gardeners’ World Live it’s clearly been playing on my mind. I didn’t even know you could get white fatsias, but a variegated one seems like an even better option to me.

It has a bit of growing to do though, and I’ll be potting it on through a variety of ever increasing pots I’m sure.

Then I picked up a couple of tomato plants, this year opting for something a little more unusual than the Gardener’s Delight which I picked up from a garden centre late-on last year. There’s a red Honeycomb cherry tomato plant on the right, and a black skinned variety on the left.

It’s the tomatoes that have made me realise how much I miss having a greenhouse, and that not having a greenhouse makes seed growing quite hard work! That means it makes sense to stick to buying some plants for the time being, and that planning a greenhouse really should move up my priority list. And so it seemed right that my final purchase from the show was these tiny vintage terracotta pots, to add to my growing collection - and which will have pride of place in my new greenhouse one day!

Aren’t these just fab? And that one with PINK written on the rim, well I couldn’t leave that one there now could I?!